# What tobacco did my grandfather smoke?



## DruLeeParsec (Nov 3, 2006)

OK, how the heck would anyone outside of the family know? Well here's why I ask:

I have 2 of my grandfather's pipes. I really wish I had more of them now that I'm starting to smoke a pipe as well. I've always felt very close to the man and I'd love to feel that connection back to my grandfather by smoking his pipe with his tobacco.

Now, I know he smoked cheap store bought stuff. And he always blended two types of tobacco together. One was from a large bright red tin which I'm almost sure was Sir Walter Raliegh (I told you, he was no gourmet) And the other tin was sort of a pale robin's egg blue color. They were both common enough that you could buy them at any drug store back when you could buy tobacco at any drug store. My local store doesn't even carry pipe cleaners any more and the only non-cigarette tobacco they carry is swisher sweets. 

I have fond memories of him laying out sheets of newspaper on the kitchen table and getting an old wooden ruler that he used as a mixing stick. That ruler was stained brown from decades of mixing his tobacco. He'd mix his 2 tobaccos and put some in an old vinyl tobacco pouch and the rest in mason jars. The smell of pipe tobacco and even the sound of a Zippo lighter always remind me of him.

So does anyone have an idea of what those 2 tobaccos were? They were a bright red tin and a robin's egg blue tin that were common in the 50's through the 80's.

Thank you.

Greg


----------



## billybarue (Mar 20, 2006)

Funny I have been trying to remember what my dad smoked. 

Brownish (1 lb ??) tin with yellow band and some yellow on the lid.

Smelled great back than, but when I tried to smoke a pipe (some 10 yrs ago) I bought a can of this - and couldn't take it. 

I would recognize it in a second, but haven't seen it in about 5 years. I can easily find the name though, because there are about 20 empty cans in the garage back at my parents home that store old nails and hardware.

Good luck in your search - Cheers,

BillyBarue


----------



## SUOrangeGuy (Feb 22, 2006)

any chance this is it? http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-NEAR-MI...3QQihZ017QQcategoryZ38053QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


----------



## magicsmoke (Jun 4, 2006)

My guess was 'Edgeworth' same as [SUOrangeGuy]. I bought a lovely Digby (GBD stamping for seconds, but this one is perfect) rustic Rhodesian bent. For a small additional payment, the seller kindly included a tin of Edgeworth (now discontinued I think) that had been aged. The combination gave an excellent smoke that took me back, more years than I care to acknowledge, to an old friend who was a regular Edgeworth smoker in the UK. I don't think the tobacco was a 'premium', and was at one time widely available (there is a Lane Limited, Tucker, GA, label on the back of my now empty tin) so it fits your grandfather's, and my own, frugal preferences in such matters.


----------



## sspolv (Dec 26, 2005)

magicsmoke said:


> My guess was 'Edgeworth' same as [SUOrangeGuy]. I bought a lovely Digby (GBD stamping for seconds, but this one is perfect) rustic Rhodesian bent. For a small additional payment, the seller kindly included a tin of Edgeworth (now discontinued I think) that had been aged. The combination gave an excellent smoke that took me back, more years than I care to acknowledge, to an old friend who was a regular Edgeworth smoker in the UK. I don't think the tobacco was a 'premium', and was at one time widely available (there is a Lane Limited, Tucker, GA, label on the back of my now empty tin) so it fits your grandfather's, and my own, frugal preferences in such matters.


Surprisingly enough, it isn't discontinued. They just moved it to plastic pouch form. My B&M has it, but I'm afraid to touch the stuff.


----------



## Nooner (Feb 22, 2005)

sspolv said:


> Surprisingly enough, it isn't discontinued. They just moved it to plastic pouch form. My B&M has it, but I'm afraid to touch the stuff.


I've also seen it in Tins - I know the old blend was highly regarded by Burley Fans, don't know about the newer stuff.


----------



## DruLeeParsec (Nov 3, 2006)

A I remember it, both tobaccos were in large round tins. The pale blue one was mostly blue with an image of a man standing. (Or my memory could be really off on this one.) But I do remember they were in similar sized round tins that looked about the size of a squat coffee can.


----------



## taltos (Feb 28, 2006)

Edgeworth sounds like a real possibility but I will propose some others; early can of Bond Street, can of Bugler cigarette tobacco-some old timers mixed this with their pipe tobacco to get a better burn, or possibly Flying Dutchman. Just my :2 . Paul


----------



## Eternal Rider (Feb 27, 2006)

The light blue can sounds like it maybe Bugler. It is a old brand


----------



## Sir Smokesalot (Nov 15, 2006)

Red - Prince Albert?
Blue - Kentucky Club?


----------



## DruLeeParsec (Nov 3, 2006)

Prince Albert! That's the image of the man standing that I remember!









(Had to make DARN sure I was posting the CORRECT picture of a "Prince Albert". My Gosh, you can't believe what photos come up when you google for that phrase) In any case, now that I see the photo of the tin I'm absolutely sure that Prince Albert was the red tobacco.

For the blue tin tobacco the Bugler brand can seems really familiar, but it may be that I see it at the grocery store as cigarette tobacco. But once again it has that image of a man standing.

This may be it, I just don't have any memory of him talking about "Bugler". I seem to remember that the two tobaccos were really common. That's why I was thinking Sir Walter Raliegh. But Prince Albert is certainly common.

Bugler may be it. I'm going to have to email my brothers to see if either of them remember. My dad would remember but my dad and I have gone our separate ways in life and it's really best for everyone if we don't start to have contact again.

But Prince Albert and Bugler is a real possibility.


----------



## Alpedhuez55 (Dec 16, 2005)

DruLeeParsec said:


> (Had to make DARN sure I was posting the CORRECT picture of a "Prince Albert". My Gosh, you can't believe what photos come up when you google for that phrase)


Well, there is a tattoo and peircing studio near my house. I think you can get a Price Albert there!!! :bn


----------



## Terrasco (Nov 26, 2006)

taltos said:


> Edgeworth sounds like a real possibility but I will propose some others; early can of Bond Street, can of Bugler cigarette tobacco-some old timers mixed this with their pipe tobacco to get a better burn, or possibly Flying Dutchman. Just my :2 . Paul


That was my guess.


----------



## magicsmoke (Jun 4, 2006)

Alpedhuez55 said:


> Well, there is a tattoo and peircing studio near my house.


My local B&M is also a tattoo parlor, so the chances of me asking for 'Prince Albert' is as remote as Ulan Bator. The shop's two different demographics seem to have little crossover in purchasing choices. The tattoo parlor clients vary from sweet young things, arriving in sissymobiles, to huge gangstas in muscle trucks. The cigar clientele varies from BOFs who have seen better days, arriving in two door compacts that have also seen better days [gulp-that's us damn it!] to well heeled businessmen in the less conspicuous varieties of quality four door sedans. Strangely the ambience is very relaxed, and I feel sure, if the State laws permitted smoking on the premises, that a friendly smoking divan would be a possibility.


----------

